Now also as a series: "The Name of the Rose" | Movies | '
26 million euros production costs, eight parts, just under seven hours of playing time, numerous international stars, a sumptuous equipment – and a few female actresses more than in Roman and cinema. "The name of the rose" as a series – arrived in the 21st century – that could work. The German-Italian co-production is certainly one of the most spectacular series reboots in these months, which are not exactly poor in series.
Diverse and complex novel construct: "The Name of the Rose"
After "Game of Thrones", where history and myths are dealt with quite freely, so now serial medieval food in its purest form. In 1980, the novel by the Italian semiotics professor Umberto Eco appeared in Italy, it was his literary debut and became a worldwide success.
The book offered much: crime and detective story, history and morality, literary puzzle and a cornucopia of signs and references of all kinds. In addition, "The Name of the Rose" was also – and for some readers, first of all – a gripping novel about church history and Wars of faith, about enlightenment and religion.
John Turturro (l.) Has taken over the role of William von Baskerville in the series reprint
Two years after the original edition, the novel was also released in Germany in 1982, and the cinema audience had to wait another four years. Then none other than James Bond starring actor Sean Connery came to the big screen and played just that William of Baskerville, the Umberto Eco had sent into his complex literary detective game a few years earlier.
Ecos book: novel about church history, packed as a thriller
Reminder: The Franciscan William of Baskerville is in the early 14th Century in a Benedictine abbey in the Ligurian mountains ordered to mediate in the religious war between the various schools of the Christian Church – the popes then resided for some time in the French Avignon. Since there has just been a mysterious death in contemplative monastic life (followed by more) William (and his Adlatus, the young Adson von Melk) gets another task.
In the theatrical version of 1986, Sean Connery played William of Baskerville
As a distant ancestor of Sherlock Holmes (the name "Baskerville" had not been chosen by chance by Eco), William has to use his intellectual faculties and wit to shed light on the mysterious happenings in the monastery. A major role is played by a mysterious book treasured in the abbey, which brings knowledge but also death to its readers. It was Aristotle's Second Book of Poetics, which spreads through humor and laughter – a danger to many strict churchmen.
Umberto Eco was a master of literary encryption
Eco needed 650 pages for his material and one could read the book in many ways at that time. If you wanted, you could pursue the numerous more or less hidden clues of the semiotics professor and lose yourself in a cosmos of history, science and doctrine. You could also read the book away in one go, as an exciting detective and history story.
Digital Medieval: The series was created, in contrast to the cinema version, in the digital age
"The Name of the Rose" also works as a series
The series, which is now starting on May 24 at the streaming provider Sky in Germany (it was already aired in Italy), is closer to the film than the book – even if they can, of course, in the development of some narrative strands take more time than the movie. The series is entertaining, dignified-conventionally staged, superbly equipped, the cast list is something to be proud of – a history series, with all that goes with it: Produced in Italy, filmed in English for the world market.
Von Baskerville studies the books and writings in the monastery
The series "The Name of the Rose" also stands for a trend. In the meantime unmanageable series offer now also literature interested may feel addressed. Literature as a series – that can but does not have to work. In individual cases, it always depends on the aesthetic and dramaturgical quality.
From Frank Schätzing to Gabriel García Márquez
This is in the series implementation of the Italian bestseller "My brilliant girlfriend" (recently available on Magenta TV available) so that will be at "The Swarm" after the bestseller of Frank Schätzing, which is currently being filmed for ZDF. And that will also be the case with the series adaptation of "100 years of loneliness" after Gabriel García Márquez announced by Netflix. Other novels that are currently being filmed or have already been filmed: "Unterleuten" (after July Zeh), "Altes Land" (Dörte Hansen) or "Around the World in 80 Days" after the Jules Verne classic. Series and literary fans can look forward to it.
Thriller to Shiver: "The Name of the Rose" as a series
But with all due enjoyment of the new literary series, one should not overlook one thing: series are not the continuation of literature by other means. The thesis put forward by some fans that the series continues what once the writers had begun, that the series Balzac and Tolstoy are for the 21st century – this thesis can hardly be maintained. What's right: Epic narration, the development of complex characters, a nested narrative – all that can also series.
Different cultural techniques
However, directing one's gaze to a screen and consuming well portioned episodes of episodes is a completely different cultural technique, requiring completely different brain activities. Umberto Eco would probably have wonderfully explained this difference.
Elke Walthelm, Executive Vice President of Content at Sky Deutschland, puts it this way: "With 'The Name of the Rose' we are offering our customers one of the most well-known content brands in a fascinating new edition." Aristotle would have turned in the grave.
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